Media trial in the United States: the Menendez brothers in court

They shocked the United States with the murder of their parents in 1989 and returned to the spotlight thanks to a very popular Netflix series: the Menendez brothers are due to appear in a California court on Monday.

Sentenced to life imprisonment and behind bars for 34 years, Lyle and Erik Menendez must attend this technical hearing by videoconference, their lawyer explained to local media.

But that does not prevent the frenzy around the case, which has returned to the spotlight thanks to a vast online mobilization, including celebrities like Kim Kardashian, to have them released.

“Release them before the end of year holidays,” implored Tammi Menendez, Erik’s wife, on social networks last Tuesday.

“The trial of the century”

The 1989 assassination of José and Mary Louise Menendez in their posh Beverly Hills home hit the headlines in the United States. The trial of their sons Lyle and Erik was broadcast daily on television.

A novelty at the time, even before that of American footballer OJ Simpson established itself as the “trial of the century”, with its cameras in the courtroom.

Prosecutors had accused the two young men, aged 18 and 21 at the time of the events, of having murdered their parents to inherit their fortune of 14 million dollars.

The two brothers presented the murder as a desperate attempt at self-defense, claiming to have been raped for years by their father.

Different perceptions of victims of sexual violence

The fiction series “Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez” as well as a documentary produced by Netflix, have recently revived interest in this case, in a world where the #MeToo movement has changed the perception of victims of sexual violence.

Erik Menendez, 53, and Lyle Menendez, 56, were recently touted as model inmates by the Los Angeles district attorney. The excitement is such that places to attend Monday’s hearing will be snapped up during a draw set up by the court, to allocate the 16 seats reserved for the public in the room.

The hearing should serve as a staging point for the defense of the two brothers, seeking to have them released via three separate procedures.

Pardon request submitted

Their lawyer Mark Geragos first asks the courts for pure and simple release, in light of new elements which would render their conviction for murder null and void: a letter from the time when Erik mentions the sexual assaults of his father to a cousin before the murder, as well as the testimony of a former Latino boy band singer, who explains having been drugged and raped by José Menendez in the 1980s.

The lawyer is also trying to have their convictions reviewed by a judge, to make them eligible for parole.

Mr. Geragos finally submitted a request for pardon for the two brothers to the governor of California, Democrat Gavin Newsom.

While waiting for the hearing, the Beverly Hills house where the murder took place is now attracting tourists like Christian Hannah. This Australian, fascinated by the Netflix series, wanted to include the place in his tourist trip to Los Angeles. “It’s really great to see her in person,” he told AFP. “Seeing it on TV and seeing it in real life is really cool.”

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